Gas burner



Sept. 18,1923.

D. S. COLE GAS BURNER Filed June 13, 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet l Sept. 181923. 1,468,356

D S. COLE GAS BURNER 7 Filed June 13 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 65 g g 45 W65 L Q r--------1= HH /3/ mm Patented Sept, 18, 1923.

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DWIGHT S. (.lOLE, 01F GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN.

GAS BURNER Application filed June 13, 1921. fiierial No. 477,001.

To all whom it may concern:

- Be it known that I, DWIGHT citizen of the United States of America,residing at Grand Ra ids, in the county of Kent and State of hfichigan,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gas Burners; and Ido hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improved means for burnin gases, and morespecifically to improved burners forming parts of automatic rapid waterheaters, but not necessarily limited in its application thereto. 1

The objects of my invention are: to provide an improved burner for thegas burned in such automatic rapid water heaters whereby a highlyeificient combustion of the gas is instantly attained upon ignition andmaintained practically constant thereafter S. Gone, a.

regardlessof the period of time the burner is in operation; to preventheat from accumulating in the upper parts ofthe burner while the heateris in operation and wasted thereafter; to avoid 'back-lighting thereinWithout the employment of screens; to prevent objectionable concussionsor explosions when the burner is ignited or extinguished; to regulatethe air supply to part of the flames as an aid to perfect combustion ofthe gas without admitting an excessive amount of unheated air toharmfully increase the volume and lower the temperature of the productsof combustion passing to the water circulating coils of the heater; toprovide a burner of ample capacity for the purpose "having its headcomposed of a single piece or unit adapted to be mounted above andsupported entirely by the automatic fuelcontrollin means of the heater,and townstruct sucli burner in a simple, durable and inexpensive manner.How I attain these and other objects of my invention will be explainedhereinafter and the forms and relations of the parts of the device areshown by the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification.

A gas burning device constructed in accordance with -my inventioncomprises in combination a ring-type burner head adapted to receive anddistribute the gas mixture to suitable burning-apertures therein andalso to have water circulate in an annular passage therein; means formounting said head comprising a tubular member adapted for the passageof water therethrough into said annular-passages in said head and thenceoutward from said annular passages; an adjustable air-directing shieldover the central portion of said burner head; mixing tubes for gas andair connectedwith and depending from the bottom of the gas distributingchamber in said burner head, and nipples mounted axiall below andadapted to direct gas upward into said mix.- ing tubes, all ashereinafter shown and described and specifically comprehended in theappended claims. For an understandin which the specified an tainedreference is made to the following description, taken in connection withthe accompanying drawings,in which,

Fig. 1 is a vertical section, with parts in elevation,,of my improvedburner, together with its mounting, means of ignition and supplies ofwater and gas;

Fig. 2 is another verticalsectional elevation of the'device, taken ofthe plane of'line A-B of ing and looking in the direction of the littlearrows at the ends of said line;

Fig. 3 is a top view, made at a reduced scale, of the head or mainportion of my improved burner, and

Fig. 4 is a bottom view, also made at a reduced scale, of the head ormain portion of my improved burner. A 7

Like reference characters refer to like parts in the diiferent figuresof the drawof the invention by other ends are at it eferring to thedrawings, ,Fig. 1 discloses, among other things, my new and improvedignition system for the burners of rapid automatic water heaters andhow' it serves to i ite the gas issuing from the burning orifices of myimproved burner. This ignition system constitutes a separate invention,disclosed in most of its essentials in U. S. Letters Patent No. 951,724,issued to me March 8, 1910, and with an important additional elementherewith disclosed is to form the subject matter of. another applicationfor U. S. Letters Patent by me at an early date. Figs. 1 and 2 alsodisclose some elements and features of my new automatic valve mechanismfor rapid water heaters, which also forms a separate invention uponwhich an application for U. S. Letters Patent, Serial No. 469,371, filedMay 13,

Fig. 1, perpendicular. to the draw- 3 19 21, is now pending. Figs. 1 and2 further disclose portions of the base of the casing of my improvedautomatic rapid water heater, but said base forms no integral part of mypresent invention. My purpose 111 disclosin these several associatedelements of my improved automatic rapid water heater is to show how theassemblage of parts of my new and improved mechanism unction together toachieve the desired re sults.

As disclosed by the drawings, my new and improved gas burner is uniquein its class, both in the manner of its being mounted and in thatprovisionis made therein for the circulation of cool water to abstractheat from the metal of the burner and thus prevent any considerable riseof temperature in the upper portions of the head thereof. Moreover, anadjustable shield in the form of a disk is mounted over the centralportion of the head ofthe'burner to control and direct the air whichrises through openings through the said head into the fire, thus aidingthe combustion of the gas and preventing unheated air'from risin andmingling with the products of combustion and harm-' fully lowering thetemperature thereof.

' Referring to the drawings: numeral 1 designates the base of the casingof my improved automatic rapid water heater, having curved coredpassages, 2, therein for conducting gas from its inlet orifice,-3,through the top wall thereof, to nipples, 4, mounted in said top walladjacent the ends of said passages as-shown in Figs. '1 and 2; 5 theouter upwardly-projecting annular rim of base 1 to which the side walls(not shown) of the heater are secured; 6 the central circular aperturethrough said base, within annular upwardly-projecting flange 7; 8 thebrackets or lugs, formed integrally with flange 7, upon which the maincasing, 9 of my improved automatic valve mechanism, hereinbeforereferred, to, is firmly secured by screws (not shown) 10 the waterchambers end of valve casing 9, into which'water under service pressureenters through pipe 11 12 the inner or constantly-supplied gas chamberand 13 the outer or periodically-- supplied" gas chamber in casing 9; 14the vertical partition between chambers 12 and -13, having a circularperforation, 15, there throughg-16 the smooth annular marginal surfacesurrounding perforation and adapted to form a valve seat; 17 the valvedislr (operably mounted in chamber 13) adapted to co-act with valve seat16 to form a valve to control the flow of gas to the main and ignitingburners of the heater as the automatic valve mechanism functions inservice; 18 the orifice in bottom of chamber 13 coinciding in fornr toandpositioned over orifice3 in base 1;. 19 the pipe which conducts gasfrom service aeaaee to the constantly-burning small pilot flame or jet21; 22 the nipple which conducts gas from chamber 13 into mixing tube23, when the heater. is in operation; 24 the tip or jet end of nipple22; 25 the air ihlet orifices in tube 23 adjacent jet 24; 26 the slotthrough the front wall of tube 23 adjacent flame 21; 27 the flame atslot 26, and 28 the flame at top of tube 23, when the heater is inoperation; 29 the water-pistons-element in the cylindrical portion, 30,of water chambers 10, having perforations, 31, through the up per pistonthereof; 32 the recess in rear wall of easing 9 which permits theincoming water to freely pass the solid lower piston of pistons-element29, when the heater is in operation, as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2;33 the lugs at, and34 the packing inset in the top end of cylinderportion, 30, of casing 9; 35 the tubular mount for the main burnercasting: 36 the lugs at bottom of burner mount 35: 37 the screws whichpass through perforations in lugs 33 and screw into threadedperforations in lugs 36. thereby securing burner mount 35 to casing 9;38 the diagonally'transverse partition in tubular burner mount 35; 39theoutlet orifice through the side wall of burner mount 35 adjacentpartition 33: v40 the inlet orifice through the side wall of burnermount 35 adjacent partition 38 and opposite perforation 39; 41 the toporifice or outlet of tubular burner mount 35; 42 the externallythreadedportion of mount 35; 43 the enternally-cylindrical portion of mount 35.from threaded portion 42 to top end. 44', thereof; 45 the main burnercasting; 46 the axiallyperforated hub or central element of cast- 2 ing45; 47 the lower internally-threaded por- ,tion of hub 46, adapted toengage threaded nally-threaded portion of the upwardly-projecting end ofhub 46; 53 the internally threaded ringadapted to engage with and screwupon portion 52 of hub 46; 54 the airdirecting shield secured to ring 53by rivets, .55, passing through perforations in said ring and saidshield, as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2; 56 the upwardly-turnedcircumferential marginof shield 54; 57 the hollow arm of burner casting45, adapted to conduct water from bore 43 in hub 46 to the semiannularpassages, 58, formed in casting 45 i water heaters have (ill) the headsof such aaeaeee conducts the water inward to bore 48; 60 the annulargas-distributing chamber of the burner; .61 the radial slots formingthe.

orifices through which the gas escapes to be burned 62 the flames formedby the burning gas (two flames being shown in radial profile) as itissues from slots 61; 63 the orifices through the bottom wall of chamber60, by which the gas enters said chamber; 64 the mixing tubes suspendedbelow orifices 63; 65 the flanges at tops of mixing tubes 64, wherebysaid tubes are securely joined to the main burner casting by screws, 66,passing through perforations in said flanges and thence screwing intocorrespondin threaded perforations in the bottom we of said chamber 60,and 67 the apertures through the central portion of said burner headpermit ting the passage of air therethrough to the interior portion of.the flames imuing from slotted orifices, 61, in said burner head.

As heretofore constructed automatic rapid generally been equipped with amultiplicity or battery of Bunsentype burners, each of comparativelysmall unit capacity. Such burners have comparatively large gas outletsor burning orifices and are equipped with screens adjacent their outletsto prevent the flames at their tops from passing down through theirmixing tubes and igniting the gas as it issues from their supplynipples. This action is commonly called back-lighting and is a difficultmatter to overcome without employing means which produce harmful edectsupon the gas after such burn the combustion of ers have been in servicefor some time. Particles of dust, floating in the air forced into themixing tubes by the jets of gas, lodgeon and clog the orifices of thescreens employed in such burners and thus cause such burners to losetheir original eficiency soon after they are put in service, andperiodic cleaning or changing of their screens is necessary to continuesuch burners in service. oreover, burners having comparatively large jetorifices generally produce considerable concussion upon their ignitionor extinguishment, and this is quite a seri ously objectionable featurein a water heater installed in private homes, or in many other places.Another considerabledefect in the designated burners consists in thefact that burners quickly become very hot in service and thus pro-heatand expand the incoming gaseous mixture whereby the capacity of theburners is very noticeably reduced after a brief period of operation.The heatso temporarily stored in the heads of such burners is liberatedand harmfully wasted after the fire is extinguished and the water hasceased to flow in the heater coils, as such liberated heat is largelyabsorbed by the standing water in the heater coils, raises thetemperature thereof considerably, and thus aids materially in thedeposition of lime or other sedimentary material on the inner wall ofthe heater coils. The above-enumerated defects in the desigiiated andcommonly employed t pes of burners are well known to gas-com ustionexperts.

My improved burner overcomes all of the enumerated defects veryefi'ectively by the simple means illustrated b the accompanying drawingsand described in this specification, thereby making a distinct advancein the art of gas-combustion as applied to automatic rapid waterheaters,

It has long been known that, under ordinary conditions of service, a gasflame will not back-light through an adequately narrow slot forming aburner orificethe permissible width of the slot increasing assthethiclmess of the metal in which the slot. is made increases.

Because they ignite and go out with very little or no concussion, do notback-light, produce good combustion, and are not unduly expensive toconstruct, the slotted-head burner is a type much to be desired inautomatic rapid water heaters. However, this type of burner has notheretofore proven satisfactory, as installed in such heaters,principally because their slotted burning rower from metallic growth,due to being repeatedly heated and cooled through a considerable rangeof temperature, and they also become clogged with rust, due to theaction of the highly corrosive a idulated condensation which frequentlydrips upon them from the superimposed copper coils in which the watercirculates while being heated. In my improved burner the possibility ofmetallic growth afiecting the slots has been eliminated by thewater-cooling provided therein which prevents any harmful range oftemperatures in the metal in which the slots are located. l have alsoeliminated any serious corrosion in the slots of my new burner by soarranging the form of the heating coils thereover that no condensationformed on said coils can fall upon said burner slots.

lln transferring heat to water in any the tallic vessel the highestefficiency results when a maximum difference in temperature existsbetween the products of combustion and the water. To obtain the maximumtemperature of the products of combustion no more air should .be.admitted into the combustion chamber than is esential for the perfectcombustion of the ga9es, and that amount of air must be properlydirected into the jets of flame close to the oint where they issue fromthe burner ori ces. To satisfy the foregoing well-established conditionsfor high efiiciency in my improved water heater 1 have equipped theburner itself with an adjustable air-deflector and shield, 54;, forcontrolling the air admittted centrally through apertures. 67. in theburner head, and made provision in parts of the heater casingconstruction (not shown) adjacentthe burner head for preventing anexcess of air admission to the combustion chamber externally of saidburner head.

Figs. 1 and 2 show that the gas supply for the main burner enterschamber 12 through pipe 19, passes thence through valve port 15 intochamber 13. thence through coinciding orifices 18 and 3 into passages 2leading to nipples 4, from which it discharges upward into mixing tubes64 (where it is properly mixed with air) and orifices 63 intodistributing chamber 60, from which it issues through slots 61 to beburned. A plan view of the arrangement of passages 57, 58 and 59 isshown by dotted lines in Fig. 4. Figs. 1 and 2 also show that the watersupply to the heater enters chambers '10-throughpipe 11, passes throughrecess 32 and holes 31 (in the upper piston 01f pistons-element 29) intoand through burner mount 35, orifice 39 and hollow arm 57. at the outletend of which the stream divides into two streams which pass throughsemiannula-r' passages, 58, to the opposite side of l the burner headwhere said two streams small pilot jet when gas 'opening of the valvebetween chambers 12 unite and pass inward through hollow arm '59,orifices 40 and 41. and thence upward through rise-pipe to the coils oftubing in the upper. portion of the heater casing. Fig. 1 discloses howthe constantly-burning or flame 21 is supplied with gas, through pipe20, from the constantly supplied chamber 12, and how the burner-,igniting flame 27 at'the top of tube 23 is ignited by pilot flame 21through slot 26 is admitted to chamber 13 by the and 13 when the heateris in operation. Radially profile elevations of two of the flames,

62. of the main burner are shown in Fig. l,

and the radially-cut slotted burning orifices, 61, in the outer wall ofthe burner'casing are indicated, adjacent the outer margin thereof,

evident that said air-directing shield can Fig. 3. The

.less of the ignites and when it is 2, air-directing shield 54 1s 52 ofhub 46, it is easily be adjusted, by simply rotating same with respectto casting 45, to control the amount of air admitted to the innerportions of flames 62 and to direct such admitted air properly into saidflames. It is to be noted that flames 62 do not impinge upon the outermargin, 56, of disk 54, but are keptfrom so doing by the rising currentof air deflected outward by said disk. and that the cool air risingagainst the whole lower surface of disk 54: efiectively prevents saiddisk from becoming harmfully heated when the heater is in operation.

As heat flows readily in gray iron castings,

and as the entire burner head, 45, is one in- 39 tegral casting of thatmaterial, the cool water flowing through its passages effectivelyprevents any harmful heating of any portion of said burner head,regardless of the length of time the heater is in continuous operation.Moreover, the currents of, air which rise through mixing tubes 64 andapertures 67 sufiice to keep the burner dry on its exposed surfaces, andno harmful corrosion occurs on said surfaces in practice.

It is tobe observed that in water heaters embodying my improved burnersthe heat first begins to be applied to the water within the burneritself, and, in that regard, my

improved burner differs from all others 95 known to me in the automaticrapid water heater field.

From the foregoing disclosures of my invention, and of the enumerateddificiencies of the types of burners heretofore commonly 1 employed inautomatic rapid water heaters, it appears that I have produced a newburner of such decided merits as to constitute a decided advance in theart of burning gas in made show that the several objects of my 1nventionhave been achieved by simple, practical. and inexpensive means. Bymakingv the burning orifices in the form of slots arranged radially,shown, air .to support the complete combustion of the gas is readilydrawn in between the thin flames and a'highly efiicient combustion ofthe gas is instantly attained upon igniting the burner, I employed inthe burner maintains such high efliciency of combustion constantly,regardlength of time the heater is in continuous operation. Thewater-cooling of the main burner prevents harmful and wastefulaccumulations of heat in its headfi Back-lighting is prevented withoutthe use of screens or any additional parts therefor, Objectionableconcussions, when the burner being extinguished, are prevented by theslots employed for burning orifices. The air supp 'ed to the centralportion of the combustion chamber of the heater (above the burner) iseflectively regulated-by the adjustable air-reguno such heaters. Thedisclosures 195 and on the burner profile while the water-cooling 115Leeaeco latingshield employed, and this aids materially in the ediciencyof the heater. The

' j arrangement of the burning orifices on the valve mechanismcontrollin the aission of gas to the main and igniting burners of theheater." revenue burner 18 of a simple and durable construction, andeasy and inmerits beyond claim to have passes continuously expensive tomanufacture and install.

burner of substantially the same details of construction as thatillustrated by the accompanying drawings and described in thisspecificatmnhas been in constant sermce in my new automatic water heaterfor a sufiicient period of time to prove its any doubt, and l,therefore, proof of the merits of said burner as they have been setforth.-

ll consider myself entitled to all forms of burner constructioncomprehended within the scope of the appended claims defining myinvention, viz:

.l claim:

l. A burner of substantially circular form adapted to be positionedhorizontally and provided with an outer fuel chamber having verticalslots in itsfouter wall in spaced apart relation-to each other, and acircular inner water circulation passage within the outer fuel chamberthrough which vwater during the operation of the burner. 2. A burner orsubstantially circular form having an outer annular iuel chamberprovided with slots in its outer wall for the esca e of fuel forburning, and an inner annu ar water circulation passage through whichwater asses continuously during the operation of t e burner. 3. A burnertermed as an integral castmg of substantially circular form and provi edwith an inner annular water circulation passage and an outer annularfuel chamber, said outer chamber having inlet 0 enings in its bottomwall for the entrance 0 mixed air and gaseous fuel andfwith a series ofspaced apart slots in its outer wall for the escape thereof'tor burning,substan tially as described. v

d. A burner for gaseous fuel comprising an outer annular gaseous tuelandair chamber provided with exit means iorthe mixed fuel and air therefrominner annularwater circulation mediatel inside of the fuelan ber, sailocated the burner, substantially as described.

5. A burner for aseous fuel comprising a ubstantially circ dar bodyhaving two anassage ima r Chitin: water cllCllldblOll passage being andhaving fronithe other, the outer wall of the outer chamber beingvertically slotted at-spaced for burning, and an,

around vertical openings through nular chambers located one within theother a common wall dividing one apart intervals, a central vertical hubhavipg. a lower inlet and an upper outlet, two hollow arms leading fromthe hub to the inner chamber, and a partition located with in the hubseparating the passages through the arms from each other whereby watercarried into the inlet end of the hub passes through the inner chamberand out at the outlet end of the hub.

6. A horizontally located burner provided with an annular watercirculation nasa vertical hub to the and outlet ends connect sagetherethrough, burner having inlet ed with said passage, and meansdividing the hub to thereby separate the inlet and outlet ends thereof,substantially as described.

7. A burner comprising a vertical hollow hub-like member. having inletand outlet pipes connected to its lower and upper ends respectively,hollow arms extending from opposite sides of said hub-like member andhaving the passages therethrough'communicating with the vertical hollowthrough said hub-like member, an annular member carried by said hollowarms and having two annular chambers therein-the inner one of saidchambers connecting with the passages in said hollow arms and the outerone having a plurality of vertical spaced-apart slots formed in itsouter wall, and a diagonal partition extending across the vertical borein said hub-like member to separate the inlet and outlet ends thereof.

8. in combination, a burner comprising an annular membena centralvertical hub to which the member is connected, there being verticalopenings through the burner-between the annular member and-hub, and aplate located horizontally over the burner and attached to the upper endof the hub, said plate having an upturned outer margin extending beyondthe vertical openings throu h the burner, substantially as describe 9.ln combination, a burner comprisin an annular member, a central verticalhu around which the annular member is horizontally located and to whichit is connected, said member having an annular chamber therein for mixedair and gaseous fuel and in the outer wall of which a pluralitymountedfor vertical adjustment on the upper. end of the hub, saidplate beinghorizontally positioned and extending at its outer portions over aportion or" the anmilar member, substantially as described;

10. In comhination with a vertical inlet water pipe, a burnerhorizontally located at and around the upper end of said pipe, anannular water passage in said burner with one end of which the pipeconnects, a riser pipe connected with the opposite end of said passage,said burner also including an annular chamber around the water paageformed with openings in its bottom wall and with a consecutive series ofvertical slots spaced apart in its outer wall, mixing tubes connected toand depending "from. the burner, one at each of said openings in thebottom wall of the annular chanihei' and gaseous fuel nipples located atthe lower neeaete ends of the mixing tuhes, substantially as described,11. A- burner of circular formation having an annular fuel chamber, theouter wall of which'is provided with slots for escape of the fuel forburning, and also having an annular passage insideof the fuel chamberfor the circulation of water, the inner wall of the fuel chambercomprising portions of the ends of said annular passage for carryingwater to and away from said water passage through the burner.

In testimony whereof l a my signature.

neirr s, corn.

